THE BIGGEST (TRAVEL) PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON I’VE LEARNED THIS YEAR
Back in September I finally made the jump to solo travel across Asia to experience new adventures and to ultimately pursue my passion for photography that up until this point had become secondary to the demands and responsibilities of adult life. On one hand, this ‘deep dive’ into the art was aimed to build a varied yet ultimately impressive bank of work to be viewed in my portfolio, while on the other to hone my skills and maintain a healthy desire to continue learning in this field. Although for the most part I would say this simply comes in the form of practice, i.e. the 10,000 hours principle, there have been several significant moments and lessons that have fast-tracked my skills to the next level, or at the very least contributed to a greater enjoyment and appreciation of my own work.
The greatest of all? That would be a mantra I’ve coined:
SHOTS, NOT SPOTS
Before explaining what this exactly means, although an educated guess can easily be made, it’s only right that some context is applied to its origins. Being the largest and arguably most photogenic city in the world, I viewed Tokyo as the Holy Grail on my long-term travelling itinerary with a great eagerness to get out there and explore its streets with my camera in hand. When leaving after roughly two weeks though, I was left with a weird sensation of feeling both overwhelmed and underwhelmed, as well as ultimately burned out on a creative level. Underwhelmed in the sense that the photos I had produced didn't match prior expectations, while simultaneously overwhelmed as I had spent my time continuously ticking off recommended locations with FOMO as my main source of motivation - not the greatest of ideas in a city as vast as Tokyo.
After comparing my more 'spontaneous' shots with those pre-planned from guides and tourism related resources, I quickly came to the conclusion that despite how obvious it sounds, simply focusing on creating good photos makes for better art and overall self-development. Specifically while travelling this translated to capturing the essence and visual aesthetics of a location, as best possible, rather than shooting sites that are either culturally significant or already popular within the photography community.
The first benefit of this approach is more related to mindset than it is to the end result, with it encouraging one to be more present in the moment - an undeniably healthy stance to have in a new and inspiring environment. Unfortunately my days had become rather robotic however with an emphasis on reaching a certain set of coordinates at a certain time to ensure optimal lighting for the shot. In turn this would render those hours in the middle of the day redundant as they didn't align with the overall 'mission' to obtain the best photos possible while travelling, and the journey from A to B would become a blur with this fixation on the final destination. I admit it could be argued that this spot/golden hour approach can be healthy too in that it similarly encourages us to live life through our own eyes rather than the viewfinder as the camera is only utilised at the most opportune time. Conversely though, not picking up my camera often equated to doing nothing rather than 'something'- mainly as a result of travelling independently with the purpose of photography.
Therefore the challenge was to make the most out of my time both creatively and personally when experiencing a new location, of which the solution came about through a more 'street' style approach. Naturally there are certain spots you're going to want to capture, for instance the Tokyo skyline from the aptly named Sky Tree or the famous Shibuya Crossing from one of the several viewpoints, but by shooting as much as possible or simply scouting for photo opportunities, we can take in the surrounding sights and sounds while also keeping our creative minds ticking over.
Additionally by heading out into the streets, I was also released from the shackles of the sunrise/sunset mentality when it comes to photography. Whilst these times are of course the best for cinematic light when photographing open and landscape scenes, I came to learn that a daytime shoot can actually compliment urban scenes with buildings shaping the light and subsequently creating innovative ways to capture them.
With a shift in mentality, the focus could then be re-diverted to what matters most - the art.
As mentioned, I'd often come away from a shoot or editing session feeling slightly underwhelmed with what I had produced, and it was only after learning this lesson that I had realised the several reasons why. Firstly, by placing an emphasis on a particular spot or subject, we're already somewhat removing ourselves from the creative process through a focus on 'What' rather than 'How'. With the bulk of the work considered to be researching a place to shoot and then venturing there, the thing we are supposedly passionate about is literally reduced to the click of a button; especially when particular guides, blogs, or the location itself will direct us to even stand in a certain spot.
For the most part this will inevitably result in a photo lacking in story, emotion, and authenticity as there is next to no consideration of external factors such as people, objects, or spontaneous events to bring the scene to life. Whilst this can perhaps be okay for more landscape shooters or hobbyists seeking to tick off bucket list destinations, I would subsequently also ask what it is that's so special about shooting where hundreds if not thousands of other people have too?
A glaring example of this in Japan was my time around Lake Kawaguchiko, the base from which many stay to take in the sight of Mount Fuji. A brief period of research will probably tell you that the Chureito Pagoda and the Tenku-no Torii are the most photogenic locations to capture the mountain, and admittedly they do add some more context to the frame than a basic landscape shot (a brief glance at the photos below will show what I mean). Nevertheless when arriving at these locations and noticing queues of people set up with tripods or ready to take selfies, the magic suddenly disappeared from both the moment and any pictures I would go on to produce. In fact I distinctly remember packing away my camera early at the pagoda thinking not only are my pictures hardly impressive compared to the likes taken during peak cherry blossom season, even if they were they wouldn't be unique knowing how many others would have captured the same shot.
For comparison the shots I appreciate the most are the two below. Although to some the shot of Mount Fuji by itself may appear to be another landscape shot, to me it evokes the memory of simply walking around the lake's shore early in the morning when I decided to capture the scene at this random yet appealing spot. The second image funnily enough was actually taken at the aforementioned Tenku-no Torii - but not exactly. After walking for over an hour to reach the peak of the hill to just be met with streams of couples waiting to take their photo underneath the gate, I headed back down with disappointment until I noticed this old-school VW camper van. With this now in the frame I was able to produce a photo unlike any I'd seen before, expressing both the magnificence of Fuji as well as the relaxed, natural vibes this spot around the lake seemed to give off.
Naturally a VW isn't the most typically Japanese thing to demonstrate my next and final point, but it does support what I previously stated regarding the essence and aesthetic of a location. In travel photography we can often get stuck down the 'spots' rabbit hole out of laziness (explicitly following others' recommendations) or the basic mindset that we need these indicators to translate our location. Instead we should seek to display the complexities of particular countries and their cultures through incorporating them into a scene, such as the people, fashion, languages etcetera. And hey, if you want to use them to bring to life a cool spot you've read about, then knock yourself out.
I hope that this rambling stream of consciousness has come across coherently, but out of the fear that I've either wasted your time or left you even more confused than when you first saw the phrase 'Shots Not Spots’, here's a quickfire breakdown of what that means as well as a few related helpful hints:
Be inspired but don't fixate on a certain shot at a certain location before arriving there in the first place. It may not turn out to either be your style or the ideal conditions to shoot it, so don't set yourself up for disappointment. Be open-minded and prepared to adapt instead.
Be present and take in the world around you, chances are there will be something to catch your eye that won't have been captured by anyone else. You'll be happier shooting and most likely happier with the result too.
Take photography guides and recommendations with a pinch of salt. If you've read about somewhere online, odds are hundreds of people have as well with many most likely having taken a better photo than you. That bucket list shot doesn't seem so special now, does it?
Bring life to your photos by using the location as a backdrop that either houses culturally significant features or simply enhances another, more unique subject.
If a photo has meaning to you, odds are that will translate to the final edit and the audience too. Many of us are talented enough to take a well exposed and composed shot, so let's not reduce photography to simply turning up and pressing a button.
As always thank you for taking the time to read and supporting me on this journey that will always throw up a lesson or three along the way.
